


An Interruption

by sumhowe_sailing



Series: Snapshots of Domesticity [6]
Category: Raffles - E. W. Hornung
Genre: Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-26
Updated: 2017-11-26
Packaged: 2019-02-07 03:44:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,016
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12832602
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sumhowe_sailing/pseuds/sumhowe_sailing
Summary: Raffles and Bunny take a holiday; Bunny convinces him to play cricket with the locals.





	An Interruption

Raffles didn’t often play cricket these days. Once in a great while Bunny would drag him into town to watch a match, but he hadn’t seen him on the pitch in nearly two years. Until they decided to take a holiday. It was no place special; Raffles had blindfolded Bunny and had him point at a map. They ended up in a town so small they hadn’t been certain it would have an inn, a place just a few miles south of Nottingham.

Bunny worried it would be a disappointment. What interest would such a place have for Raffles? Where was the excitement in staying at so sleepy a spot for more than an hour or two? But Raffles, as always, had a solution. They would turn it into a game. No more of Bunny and dear old Mr. Ralph—they would create new characters for the week. And for that extra bit of entertainment, every time they spoke with a local, they would change their story ever so slightly. Just to see if anyone would notice the discrepancies.

“A.J. that’s mad.”

“Where’s the harm in it?”

“You’re trying to be _deliberately_ suspicious. The _one_ time we go somewhere with strictly innocent intentions, and you’re still trying to see if you can get us arrested!”

“Oh Bunny, don’t be so dramatic. It’s nothing of the sort.”

“Then pray tell, what is it?”

“A game. Just a game. I promise, Bunny, nothing will happen.”

And much to Bunny’s relief, Raffles was right. It was not that they had a shortage of opportunities in which to tell and twist their tales; the villagers were all perfectly friendly, perfectly hospitable, and perfectly indifferent. If they noticed that something was off, they gave no sign of it. Yet in spite of his relief, Bunny couldn’t help noticing that Raffles was a bit put-out. Perhaps it was an attempt to cheer him up after this disappointment that Bunny suggested Raffles join a cricket match they heard being organized in the pub one evening. It took a bit of persuasion, and Bunny ultimately had to agree to play as well, but in the end Raffles added their names to the list with a smile.

That Saturday turned out to be the perfect day for cricket. It seemed odd to be playing in an empty yard between two well-kept houses with no pavilion in sight; but with the sun beaming and the faint breeze tempering the heat and the brilliant green of the grass below it was impossible to mind the setting. In spite of his apparent reluctance in the pub, once he set foot on the pitch, Raffles looked more alive than Bunny had seen him in months.

It all began well enough. Somehow Raffles had talked his way into bowling the first inning. It didn’t take long for him to get back in stride and amaze the villagers the way he had once amazed the country. Bunny, one of the fielders, was paying such rapt attention to Raffles that he found it rather hard to focus on anything else. He missed one or two easy catches, but caught several others. He was not a great player, but he did not, in the end, utterly disgrace himself. He knew Raffles would tease him over all this later. Still, to see him so happy again? It was a very small price to pay.

It wasn’t until their third inning in the field that it happened. Raffles had stepped down to let a local lad bowl, and was now stationed in the field not far from Bunny. A particularly clever ball was bowled—and hit squarely by the man at bat. There was a wonderful cheer, and mixed in with it—was that barking? But Bunny couldn’t look around; the ball was coming straight toward him and he was determined to catch it this time. He was in position, just waiting for it to come down—when something heavy rammed into the back of his knees and sent him sprawling. He was dazed for a moment. The first thing he consciously noticed was laughter. Cheeks burning, he pushed himself up. A labrador was capering in front of him, practically grinning around the cricket ball it held firmly in its mouth. He couldn’t help it; he laughed too.

After watching it a few moments, Raffles came over to try to retrieve the ball. The dog pranced up to him—but the moment Raffles reached down, the dog turned and bolted. Bunny thought he heard something like “impertinent mutt”, but before he could be sure, Raffles was chasing after the dog. Now and then it would stop and look back to see if it was still being pursued, clearly enjoying the chase as much as the small crowd was. One or two other players joined in for a bit, but soon gave up, laughing.

Perhaps it got distracted, or perhaps it simply wanted a new spin on this game, but at some point the dog stopped running, instead pacing circles with its nose near the ground. Raffles slowed, creeping up on the dog with exaggerated movements, sending the crowd howling with laughter. When he got close enough, he lunged for it. The dog darted away just in time, leaving Raffles flat on the ground. When it turned back and saw that the pursuer had not gotten up to resume the chase, the wagging tail slowed. The dog came back, looking as concerned as any dog can. It sniffed at Raffles’ feet, then came up to look at his face. Which was when Raffles abruptly sat up, throwing his arms round the dogs neck with an exclamation of victory.

Bunny was laughing so hard he thought his lungs might burst at the sight of them. His serious, elegant Raffles sitting in the dirt, slobbery cricket ball forgotten on the ground beside him as a stranger’s dog enthusiastically licked his face as though welcoming his master home. It may have been a quieter holiday than he’d have planned, but this alone made the entire week worth it.


End file.
